Online publishing generally refers to putting digital content online, typically at a website. The digital content can include digital visual and aural media objects including, but not limited to, video, audio, and still image content. The online publisher typically enables a user who requested transfer of the digital media objects for publication and other authorized users to interact with published digital media objects via a user interface. For example, an authorized user may modify a digital media object, e.g., deletion. The quality of the user experience is lessened considerably if there are unreasonably delays between the request for transfer and the time that the user is allowed to interact with transferred digital media objects.
The online publishing of digital media objects is increasing rapidly. The largest photo sharing service, for example, has over two hundred million digital photo images accessible online. The largest online music service has over two million digital audio objects accessible online. Video content is increasingly being published on websites to enable online access.
Digital media objects are growing larger and larger as higher resolution digital devices and storage media become available to the average consumer. The size of a digital photo or digital video objects varies depending on the camera's megapixel resolution and the compression format used to generate the digital object. For example, digital photo cameras rated at 8 megapixel resolution capability or above are commonly available for consumers. An 8 megapixel digital photo camera typically enables selection of several different resolutions, e.g., 640×480 up to 3264×2448 (3264×2448=7,990,272 pixels). The size of a digital video file depends on various factors including the time duration, number of frames per second, resolution and amount of compression. High resolution digital video cameras are available to consumers, thus enabling creation of even larger digital media files.
For images and video, resolution directly affects quality in that the higher the resolution, the more picture detail is captured in each image or frame and the closer the result can resemble the original source. The size of a digital audio object is a function of the length of the audio segment and the digital encoding format. Lossy or lossless compression are typically used for encoding audio objects to reduce storage requirements and transfer time.
Conventional online publishing services typically enable a user to transfer, i.e., upload, digital media objects and make them a part of collections that can be shared with the public or designated individuals. The known services also offer the options to do some editing as part of the interaction with the uploaded content, e.g., adding captions to further identify the object or rotating a photo.
The conventional uploading of digital media objects to a website, for example, is time consuming especially for uploading a large number of large digital media objects. Upload time can vary from a few seconds up to several minutes or hours, depending on the speed of the connection and the size and number of the objects. Many users have slow dial-up connections which cause uploads to take considerable time using conventional methods. Many users are migrating from slower dial-up connections to faster broadband connections. Although broadband connections provide faster download times of several megabits per second, the upload speed for broadband connections is typically limited to a much slower speed, e.g., about 125 Kilobytes per second for a cable modem. A typical online digital photo album has approximately fifty pictures. Assuming eight megapixels per image with a compressed file size in JPG format of just over 2 MB and the upload transfer rate of 125 KBytes/second, the transfer of the fifty digital photos could take more than fifteen minutes. The transfer time may be even longer when a wireless protocol, such as BLUETOOTH, cellular, etc., is used to transfer the digital media object.
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of a system 10 illustrating digital media object transfer and publishing aspects according to a conventional method. The system 10 includes a client device 20 connecting via a connection 30 to a device 40. The client device 20 is a computing device, e.g., a personal computer, handheld device having network capability, or the like. The connection 30 is typically via the Internet, although other suitable connections for connecting computing devices, e.g., BLUETOOTH, cellular, etc. are used. The device 40 is typically any computing device capable of publishing content for distribution over a network, such as a server, as shown.
In the exemplary scenario for the system illustrated in FIG. 1, a request is made to transfer two digital media objects I1L, identified as 22, and I2L, identified as 24, from client device 20 to the server 40. The objects 22 and 24 have an original file size which is also referred to as the large size and noted by the superscript “L”. The digital media objects may be images, video, or audio objects. The digital media objects 22 and 24 are typically published at the server 40 such that a user can access them via the connection 30 from either the client device 20 or another similar device (not shown). A typical server 40, such as at a photo sharing site, for example, enables a user to access the original size image and one or more smaller sized copies, including a display size (also referred to as medium) and thumbnail size (also referred to herein as small) copies. Multiple sizes are typically published to enhance the user's experience by enabling the user to, for example, view thumbnail photos to see more of the contents of photos collected into an album, view larger display size photos to see more details of the image, etc.
FIG. 2 illustrates sets 60 and 70 of exemplary reduced file sized copies and the original file size copies of the two digital media objects 22 and 24. Set 60 includes for image I1 a small size copy 62, shown also I1S, a medium sized copy, shown also I1M, and a large size copy, shown as I1L. Similarly, set 70 includes for image I2 a small size copy 72, shown also I2S, a medium sized copy, shown also I2M, and a large size copy, shown also as I2L. It should be appreciated that original size is referred to in FIG. 2 as the large size in comparison to the other reduced sizes shown. In the example in FIG. 2, the three sizes are generated typically using software on the local client device 20, and then transferred to the server 40.
FIG. 1 shows the order 50 in which the different sized copies in sets 60 and 70 are sent to the server 40 from the client device 20 via the connection 30, according to a conventional method. The conventional method, shown in the example in FIG. 1, transfers the small size I1S, followed by the medium size I1M, followed by the large size, I1L copy of the first object I1. The small size copy of object I2, I2S, is only transferred using the conventional method after the largest copy of the previous object, I1L, has been transferred. As shown at 50, the order of the transfer for the copies of object I2 is the small size I2S, followed by the medium size I2M, and followed by the large size, I2L. The prior art system 10 makes the transfer in a non-adaptable way such that the transfer always follows the order shown at 50 independently of any actions requested by a user who is viewing published copies of the transferred copies via the server 40.
FIG. 3 shows an exemplary diagram of a plurality of small size objects, I1S to I30S, that were transferred and published. An average online photo album contains more images, fifty, with each original sized image potentially originating from an 8 megapixel camera. A drawback of the convention method illustrated in FIG. 1 is that the delay from the moment the user requests an upload of the 50 images from the local client device 20 to the time all sizes are transferred in order, following the order shown at 50, published for display, and available for selection is usually more than fifteen minutes. The known method of FIG. 1 also only enable the user to select a transferred object and requests editing or some other action for the selected object after all the smallest size and other size copies are transferred in order from small to large size as shown at 50. Consequently, a user starts the upload using the conventional method of FIG. 1 and then must wait several minutes before being able to view all thumbnail copies of the image. Moreover, according to some known methods, only after all images are transferred, i.e., after the last thumbnail is viewable and its corresponding copies have been transferred, is the user enabled to selectively request action for any of the transferred objects.
One known method described in U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 transfers lower-resolution copies of digital images to a central server using relatively low-bandwidth communication and subsequently transfer higher-resolution copies of the digital images to the central server using relatively high-bandwidth communication. This known method is sensitive to bandwidth and has the drawback of not being adaptable. That is, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 determines the transfer sequence based on resolution and bandwidth, and does not provide adaptability for controlling the transfer sequence as a function of actions requested by a user who is accessing transferred digital images. For example, if the user views one or more of the transferred lower-resolution copies and decides that he/she wants to delete or otherwise modify one or more of the images for some reason, and the corresponding higher-resolution copies has not yet been transferred, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 does not provide a method to determine whether to reprioritize the transfer of the untransferred higher-resolution copies of the corresponding digital images as a function of the requested modification. Thus, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 has a drawback of having no feedback of the users request for deletion, for example, in order to halt the transfer of unneeded larger high-resolution copies, so time is wasted transferring the corresponding higher-resolution copies of images even though the user has already indicated he/she wants those images deleted, in this example. Thus, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 has a drawback of not being adaptable to user demands and thereby lessening the user experience by wasting valuable transfer time transferring large higher-resolution copies that are not needed. As a result of the wasted time in this example, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 takes more time than necessary to transfer needed images, causing the user to experience needless delays in viewing the images.
For another example, if the user views one or more of the transferred lower-resolution copies and decides that he/she wants to view a corresponding higher-resolution copy and the corresponding higher-resolution copies has not yet been transferred, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 does not provide a method to reprioritize the transfer of the desired untransferred higher-resolution copy as a function of the user interaction with the lower-resolution copy. That is, for the known methods, the requested higher-resolution copy is not sent earlier based on the user request. Consequently, for the known methods there are unnecessary delays before the user can view the requested larger image and thus, the user experience is diminished.
What is needed therefore is an adaptable method that can reprioritize transfer of an untransferred copy of a digital media object as a function of user requests for action regarding an already transferred smaller size representations of the same digital media object.
The following scenario further illustrates a drawback of the known methods. During the uploading of a 50 image photo album, for example, the user at the webpage viewing the thumbnail images that have been transferred and published for display might realize upon viewing a particular thumbnail image that she wishes to delete an image that is cutoff, poorly lit, or otherwise undesirable. According to a known method, the user must wait for all the images in all sizes to be transferred and published before being allowed to request deletion of the undesirable image. That is, the user viewing the published undesirable thumbnail image is unable to halt the transfer of other sizes of the undesirable image even though he/she wishes to delete all copies in all sizes of the image. As a result, the user's experience is diminished due to the delays and time is wasted transferring large sized copies corresponding to the poor quality thumbnail image that the user wishes to delete.
The drawback of known methods is further compounded when there is a slower connection from device 20, e.g., a dial-up connection, slow wireless connection. Use of those slower connections can cause a delay of a half hour to an hour or more before all photos, in the example above, are transferred. There is therefore a need for a method that adapts to user interaction with a published representation of a digital media object so as to enable more rapid access by a user to the published object and more efficiently transfers multiple sizes of a digital media object.
It should be appreciated that there are drawbacks described above apply similarly to audio, video, and image and other digital media objects. It is desirable to transfer smaller file size copies of an audio file or a video file, for example, to provide a preview to a user along with the full original sized object. Moreover, the drawback of known methods is compounded for video files which are much larger on average than the average image or audio file.
There is also thus also a need for an adaptable method that enables more efficient transfer and publication based on user interaction with published transferred representations of digital media objects so as to avoid wasting time transferring objects when the user may have already decided to delete or otherwise alter the object based on a published smaller version of the objects. Known systems allow a user to request that other modifications be performed on a published digital media object. For example, a user typically can request rotation of a selected image or video object, adding a caption to a selected image or video object, or placing a copy of the digital media object, i.e., image, audio, or video objects, into a collection. Typically, collections such as collections 1 and 2, identified as 42 and 44 respectively in FIG. 1 are created and made selectively shareable with other users having access to the server 40. Known sharing websites also allow a user to selectively authorize another user to access and cause an action to be taken on shared digital media objects. For example, the authorization might restrict another user to viewing the image or video object or listening to the audio object. Alternatively, the user may select to authorize another user to alter shared objects. The user experience is lessened if needless delays occur in known systems by not reprioritizing transfer based on user actions, for example, if the user views a transferred and published thumbnail image object and requested deletion of the object such that transfer of other untransferred copies of the corresponding digital media object are not needed. What is needed therefore is a method that, in response to the action requested by the user, determines as a function of the requested action whether to reprioritize transfer of any and all untransferred copies of the corresponding digital media objects.